Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Cellular telephones – Social aspects'

Worldwide use of mobile phones has created a new basis for interpersonal communication and has become a ubiquitous feature of youth culture. Hence the examination of global mobile phone adoption is a global challenge for communication researchers as well as for the media industries. Thus far, New Media research in New Zealand (NZ) has focused on children and teenagers. The group of young adults between 18-25 years has rarely been surveyed. This thesis focused on university students� use of mobile communication in NZ in the context of their everyday practices. The Mobile Media Study (MMS) was designed as a cross-national comparative research project with a focus on NZ together with one European and one North American country. The usage behavior, experiences, attitudes, and opinions of young NZers� towards mobile phone use was examined and contrasted to young German and American students. Methodological and data triangulation was applied and data was collected at the University of Otago, the City University of New York, the Pennsylvania State University, and the University of Leipzig. MMS survey research was conducted along with focus group and personal interviews, and qualitative exercises. In addition, the latest data from a longitudinal study of New Media use in Germany, the US and NZ served as a secondary, comparative, and complementary dataset. The research questions focused on general mobile phone use, text-messaging (SMS), the acceptance of Third Generation (3G) cell phones, mobile phone use in public places, gender-specific usages, and the construction of mobile social networks. Altogether, data from 1,316 students at four universities in three countries was analyzed. Results indicated that the number of providers as well as tariff structures appear to influence mobile phone adoption within a country. To adjust to the duopoly situation young people in NZ preferred prepaid cards in connection with a SMS package. This was reflected by extraordinarily high use of SMS in NZ. By comparison German and American students preferred annual contracts. Americans, who had the strongest preference for mobile calling, also had the highest monthly expenses. Additionally, findings revealed that overall user interest in 3G services is not yet very high. It was found that in particular NZ students do not exploit the full range of mobile services already available to them and feel confident that their current cell phone gratifies all their needs. They concentrate on using basic functions, such as calling and SMS. In addition, results suggest a decreasing role of the landline telephone and email for interpersonal communication. Gender differences were found with NZ women in particular being most enthusiastic about SMS. German men had the most negative attitude toward SMS and also used the service the least in comparison to the other students surveyed. In general women had a preference for the communicative functions on their mobile phone including voicemail and more women than men in Germany and NZ were found to play mobile phone games. Finally, evidence of gender specific social network structures were found in NZ with male networks resembling spider webs while female networks were centered so that all persons in the network connected back to the center. Overall, students only used a fraction of the contacts in their mobile phone book and communicated mostly within a limited local area. In conclusion, a replication of the MMS was suggested along with further multi-method research in the field of Asian-NZer�s New Media use.

Thesis (MPhil (Information Science))--University of Stellenbosch, 2009.
Mobile telephone subscription in developing countries has increased by more than 500 percent since 2005, with Africa experiencing the highest growth rate globally. Amongst Africa’s 306.5 million subscribers, recorded in 2008, an unexpectedly high adoption rate of the technology by poor, often illiterate rural communities is observed. Mobile telephony generally provides African rural users access to electronic communication for the first time. Providing access to communication, information and knowledge, mobile phones present a platform for economic and social interaction in rural Africa. The extent of the resulting positive socio-economic impact on the developing world has lead to mobile telephony increasingly being viewed as a potential development tool for the socio-economic upliftment of the rural poor. This thesis is inspired by the potential for value creation to end users of mobile telephony, leading to the proposition that the rapid expansion of mobile telephony in rural Africa can contribute significantly to the sustainability of these communities’ rural livelihoods. For this proposition to be valid, mobile telephony has to provide value beyond being communication tool. It has to provide value in income generating activities by increasing opportunities for access to financial and social capital with mobile business models appropriate to the rural African context. To assess the appropriateness of mobile value offerings, the rural African context was analyzed using the Sustainable Livelihoods Framework. Through multi-level analysis, the challenges and issues that influence the lives of the rural poor were explored and the dominant livelihood strategies in terms of income generating activities were identified. Apart from agricultural income streams, waged labor, migration and micro-entrepreneurial activities provide non-agricultural income streams. Creating an appropriate mobile business ecosystem for rural Africa requires the collaboration of a complex network of actors within a value constellation to co-produce value for the end users. Three conditional factors were identified for mobile telephony and emerging mobile business models to contribute successfully to sustainable livelihoods: adaptation of the technology by providers, user appropriation to make the technology their own and the assimilation of it into their livelihood strategies. These factors were researched for validation through the study of existing literature and reported case studies. It was found that these three conditional factors were unequivocally met. Firstly, the mobile telecommunication industry active in Africa is seen to successfully adapt and innovate solutions that are relevant to African rural communities’ vulnerabilities and livelihood strategies. Secondly, African mobile phone users have successfully adopted and appropriated mobile telephony to create value for themselves in their livelihood strategies, often independent of external interventions. They are claiming ownership of the technology and not merely using it as a communication tool. Thirdly, by assimilating mobile telephony into their livelihood strategies, value-creation within their income generating activities have been made possible. This value creation is impacting users’ social and financial capital positively. This thesis concludes that mobile telephony and emerging mobile business models are contributing to increasing African rural dwellers’ income generating potential, reducing their vulnerability to shocks, and providing them with a voice; thereby contributing to sustainable rural livelihoods.

En el documento "Instalación del servicio de telefonía móvil para la conectividad y desarrollo social en las localidades de Apurímac, Ayacucho y Huancavelica", se puede observar que el trabajo realizado ha podido cuantificar los efectos relacionados a esta tecnología en los beneficios sociales de la población (ahorro en costo de transportes y ahorro en tiempo) y el nivel de inversión requerido para implementarlo, por parte de los operadores privados a través del mecanismo de subvención de la inversión. Esto demuestra, como la introducción de la telefonía móvil juega un rol relevante en la reducción de la pobreza en especial la rural. Por un lado, este medio de comunicación promueve el acceso a mercados de creación de empresas, reduce los problemas de información asimétrica y sustituye la necesidad de transportarse, increment{andose la productividad y la eficiencia. Por el otro, es una herramienta que ayuda en caso de desastres, permite la difusión de información ligada a la salud y educación, y promueve la creación de capital social.
Trabajo de investigación

There is evidence that athermal radiofrequency radiation can alter Heat Shock Protein (HSP) expression or protein phosphorylation, or alter MAP kinase signalling. Effects of long-term exposure in brain tissue due to repeated HSP perturbation (eg an inhibition of apoptosis) have been hypothesised (French et al, 2001). This study aimed to investigate the RNA expression profile (12,000 genes) and HSP family protein expression levels after either acute 1-hour or chronic 4-day intermittent exposures to simulated GSM radiation in a human primary fibroblast model. The results found minimal or no effects of GSM. Flasks were exposed to 900 MHz (217 Hz modulation) at 0.18 W/kg SAR within a Transverse Electromagnetic Mode chamber (TEM cell). Cultures rested for 2 hours before exposures. Affymetrix U95A microarray analysis of a single pilot set of experiments showed that about 40 genes were reported as upregulated >=2.5 fold in each condition. There was no evidence of altered expression of any MAPK-associated genes. Target genes reported in both conditions (CBFA2T1, ZNF148, ITGA1), and genes altered in one condition (CCS, PLEC1, BIRC5), and marginally altered HSP72 were selected for PCR analysis. No other members of the HSP family were altered. In three replicate experiments assayed by real-time PCR, six genes were either unchanged or showed randomly variable expression. However HSP72 RNA showed possible consistent slight upregulation of 1.37 +/- 0.21 in the chronic condition. Western immunoblots of HSP-60, -70, -72 and -V90 proteins showed no significant changes 5 hours after exposure. In preliminary studies using a serum starvation protocol, ERK-1 phosphorylation was unaltered after 5 or 30 minutes GSM (single experiments). When flasks were transiently cooled, ERK-1 phosphorylation was increased 20 minutes later, indicating a source of artefact in some protocols. An inflammatory challenge experiment with a low-dose of the cytokine IL-1???? found that acute GSM exposure post-challenge inhibited NF????B-mediated GRO???? induction by 1.5 fold (2 experiments). Preconditioning with mild heat induces transient inhibition of both NF????B signalling and apoptosis. Other studies indicate that EMF exposures similarly evoke cytoprotection. It is suggested that GSM evoked cytoprotective signalling in this inflammatory model.

Recently, Thoma and Bebeau (2008) reported moral judgment developmental trends among various samples of undergraduates and graduates where increases in Personal Interests reasoning and decreases in Postconventional reasoning were observed. In an attempt to explain such trends, they cited recent trends in increased narcissism among college students (Twenge, Konrath, Foster, Campbell, & Bushman, 2008) and also noted that certain types of technological devices (i.e. social networking websites, cell phones, etc.) may have adverse effects social decision-making and self-presentation. The current study, therefore, addresses the relationships among moral judgment development, narcissism, and electronic media and communication devices (EMCD's). Analyses support that the extent of EM CD usage, as well as the reasons for usage, contribute to decreased Postconventional reasoning, but have a negligible effect on Personal Interests reasoning.

In this thesis I explore the relationship between the mobile phone and its user and argue that this relationship is crucial in merging the contexts of public and private, the physical and virtual, imagined and real, past and present, author and audience. I view this relationship as crucial to understanding the shift in the role of the audience from passive receivers of content to active producers ('Mobile Produsers'). Further, I argue that the diverse contexts of mobile content production and the definition of the content itself have become the central means by which mobile phone practices are emerging. I draw on anthropology, social science and media studies in order to explore the impact of mobile contexts, content, and use on identity. I propose that this approach allows for a new understanding of mobile practices as a form of spectacle, especially what I refer to as the spectacle of the self. Produsership theory informs an understanding of mobile practices, content production and performance, and the Bahktinian concept of carnival becomes a useful term in analysing the mobile as both performance and spectacle. Through an analysis of mobile content within cinematic culture, social interaction, and mixed media environments I consider the ways in which the mobile functions not only as a tool for positioning the individual, but also as performing an integral part in a multi-user process of mobile content production. In this sense, mobile content can be understood as a map, and the mobile as a compass used by the produser to navigate the mobile?s diverse contexts. Furthermore, I demonstrate that mobile content is collectively constructed while being individually absorbed. It is reflective of both the context and its user and open to constant questioning and interpretation, which is then shared with others. Finally, this thesis explores the notion of being t/here as mode of participating with the mobile in time and space, where one's identity is distributed across virtual and physical spaces, simultaneously locating the user as both here and there (t/here).

A thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Communication Science at the University of Zululand, 2003.
This study begins by investigating the development of cellular technology as within the overall convergence of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT's). The study briefly sketches its scope and extent in South Africa and the African continent. It examines the various communication functions of cellular technology and investigates the uses to which these functions are put, and examines the concept of praxis in this connection. As a case study, it examines the use of cellular phones by students at the main campus of the University of Zululand. A survey is carried out and comparisons to international and national trends of cellular phone usage are referred to, and students' attitudes towards its use by lecturers and administration are probed. In conclusion, recommendations are made concerning the use of cellular phones for communication purposes and for further research.

Access to 'anywhere, anytime' connectivity through text messaging is now firmly entrenched in everyday life. This dissertation begins with an investigation of the interception of text messages a week before the rioting at Cronulla beach, in Sydney, during December 2005. This case study foregrounds the durability of text messaging beyond the moments of inception, transmission and reception. In this dissertation a text message is conceptualised as a trace that has a materiality, which is explored through the policing of text messaging in December 2005, and juxtaposed with how the technology is used in everyday routines. This contextual framework provides a broad spectrum to analyse the varying scales and meanings of surveillance, privacy, trust and comfort. This dissertation elaborates on Anthony Giddens’ theorisation of ontological security as the continuity and stability of social and material environments (1990, 1991) by applying it to the everyday use of text messaging and a case study of the Cronulla riots. This dissertation is a qualitative study of the everyday text messaging practices and experiences of 30 participants between the ages of 18 to 40, living in Sydney. The empirical data from interviews with the participants is combined with analysis of media reportage of mobile phones, government policy, and academic research studies that consider text messaging in its political, social and cultural contexts. The dissertation concludes that text messaging is used by individuals to build flexible barriers around and within their social lives to maintain ontological security, which is fortified by the materiality of text messages.

This dissertation examines youth consumer culture in South Africa through a case study of cellular phone consumption. The hypothesis is that it is possible to draw some conclusions about identity formation, particularly among young people, by examining how they use cellular phones. Two methods were employed to understand three key research questions regarding the youth (aged 18-25). They were: Why do youth use cellular phones and what gratifications do they experience? From a marketing perspective, what web promotions are in place to target this youth market? How do the youth respond to these messages? The first method utilised a questionnaire investigating young people‟s perceptions, sampled from a group of students at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN). This objective was to reveal why young people have cellular phones and how they respond to marketed messages encouraging cellular phone consumption. The second method applied a semiotic analysis of the South African oligopolistic cellular networks' websites. This showed how marketers perceive their youth segment and how they harness the Internet as a marketing medium. Significant findings that foster consumption were presented regarding this youth sample. One such finding is that self expression is articulated through consumption. This is particularly evident in the purchasing of cellular phones and airtime and how the purchasing decision reflects the individualisation of self. Further, the importance of social institutions emerged with family instilling or attempting to instil discernment regarding diligent and necessary spending. The opposite is evident with peer pressure influencing unnecessary consumption. Lastly, advertising emerged as a central driver in creating brand awareness and stimulating the consumption of cellular phones and packages amongst this youth segment. Against the research results discussed, relevant literature gave support and further insights into youth consumer culture. This dissertation provides, and concludes with, a deeper understanding into the dynamics of youth and their cellular phone consumption in South Africa, particularly in an area where there has been very little research.
Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2009.

1 online resource (viii, 155 leaves)
This study explores the ways in which female entrepreneurs in Zambia and South Africa use their cellular phones, as well as their interests and needs in using this technology. The findings in this study are therefore crucial to the body of knowledge on programmes that seek to uplift women's lives through the deployment of ICTs, since current policies do not make full provision for the use of mobile phones in female entrepreneurship. Information on female entrepreneurs and cellular phones was collected in the literature review. The scrutiny of various literature sources and the analysis of the responses from the interviews with the female entrepreneurs were carried out to arrive at answers to the following research questions: 1. Can telecommunications (specifically, cellular phones) increase the participation of women in the economy? 2. What are the consumer habits of female entrepreneur cellular phone users in Zambia and South Africa? 3. Are the communication needs of business women in Zambia and South Africa adequately met? 4. What are the obstacles that female entrepreneurs in Zambia and South Africa face in the use of cellular phones? 5. What are the similarities and differences in the consumer habits of female entrepreneur cellular phone users in Zambia and South Africa? In order to gather information on the consumer habits of female entrepreneurs in Zambia and South Africa, a survey was conducted of 100 female entrepreneurs. The female entrepreneurs identified in this survey consist of female business owners with no more than 50 employees each, from Gauteng Province in South Africa, and Lusaka Province in Zambia. The female entrepreneurs were identified through the accidental sampling technique, and a structured questionnaire was used to collect information from them. The findings of the investigation reveal that cellular phones have the potential to increase the participation of women in mainstream economic activity, since they are a useful means of communication that allow women from diverse backgrounds to communicate easily for both business and social purposes. Accordingly, national policy-makers in South Africa and Zambia need to investigate further the potential of using cellular phone or similar technology to empower small-scale businesswomen. The investigation also shows that the cellular phone consumer habits of female entrepreneurs in Zambia and South Africa differ when it comes to using cellular phones for business and social communication purposes. More Zambian women indicated that they use their cellular phones in business operations, while South African women showed a tendency to use their phones more for social purposes. The results of this investigation further illustrate that despite the importance in value which the mobile phone has for women entrepreneurs in both Zambia and South Africa, the communication needs of women's entrepreneurship are not adequately met. The main obstacles in meeting the communication needs of female entrepreneurs in Zambia and South Africa are inadequate network coverage and high prices. The study shows that a number of women (52,2%) indicated that they are inhibited from effective communication services and therefore resort to borrowing other people's mobile phones. The lack of empirical studies on the use of telecommunications by female entrepreneurs in both Zambia and South Africa attests to the fact that women's entrepreneurship is still an area that requires in-depth investigation. If various development efforts are to meet their targets, clearly the area of women's entrepreneurship and how various ICTs such as cellular phones are used therein needs urgent investigation.
Communication Sciences
M. A. (International Communication)